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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27511756">Shining Aces - Forged Beginnings</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForbiddenArchive/pseuds/ForbiddenArchive'>ForbiddenArchive</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Shining Aces [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Chuuni TF, Corruption, Purification, Transformation, petrification</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-08 04:09:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,814</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27511756</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForbiddenArchive/pseuds/ForbiddenArchive</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Every other Magical Girl has fallen. It falls to a former villainess to take up the torch and purify them all, with some unlikely allies.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Shining Aces [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2010679</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Shining Aces - Forged Beginnings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>The start of an on-and-off thing, based around purifying corrupted Magical Girls.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Itagara City. A city infested with evil on every corner. But it wasn't always this way. Oh no. It was once a beautiful city, one kept safe by many young girls that would do anything to see the light of day wash over their beloved home.</p><p>They were the Shining Aces. Girls who had a high compatibility ranking with the Sprites that snuck into society. By turning them into weapons as part of a pact, they were able to transform into a form that properly reflected their inner selves, and fight back against the evils that would dare try to drag their beloved home into the darkness.</p><p>At the forefront, the oldest of the lot, was White Ace and Black Ace. The former, an expert at long ranged combat, and a girl who wouldn't hurt those that didn't deserve it. She always talked the enemy to death whenever she could, preferring to have her words speak louder than her actions. The latter, her direct opposite. A close-combat prodigy who would never dare settle for anything less than complete victory. They were their own antithesis, but it was because of this reflection that they were able to get anywhere. Black pulled White out of her naive mindset, while White dulled the sharpness of Black's view on others.</p><p>Standing on the opposite side of things was the villainous Dealer, a woman with the cards of humanity at her beck and call, and her loyal assistant Joker, a man of too many talents to list. A simple deal or game gone wrong led humans to be stained by her power, turning them into parts of her deck. Whether it was a mere pawn with a number, or a proper Face. They were all dangerous in their own right, able to keep toe to toe with any individual Ace from the side of good...</p><p>But eventually, both sides were tossed aside. A malignant entity, an agent from the Darkness, stepped in. Good and Evil were nothing to it, as it merely wanted to turn this world into another pawn of that sprawling nothingness. And it would do anything in its power to do so. Thus, the Aces and Dealer both had to be subjugated.</p><p>It happened so fast. The Aces were turned against one another by its corruption, and Dealer vanished into nothingness. Those that managed to avoid immediate corruption fought back the best they could, but the war of attrition was a fierce one. Little by little, every Ace fell. Even the new ones that bonded with fresh Sprites fell, each turning into a wicked version of themselves thanks to the Darkness they found themselves steeped in...</p><p>All hope seemed lost... And yet...</p><p>---</p><p>A purple-haired woman slowly opened her eyes, a glint of annoyance already visible in her eyes. She really didn't want to be in this situation, already feeling the effects of the hangover from the night before. To make matters worse, she knew exactly one person who would bother putting her in a situation like this...</p><p>What kind of situation? Well, the kind where you find yourself strapped to a simple iron chair with your hands locked behind your back and your body bound by chains. That kind of situation. As if her life wasn't going down the shitter hard enough, this just had to happen.</p><p>"Good morning, Ace Killa. It's been a while since we met face to face." A smooth and gentlemanly voice echoed from the darkness around the purple-haired woman, as a monocle-wearing black-suit-clad man entered her vision. All while a smile was plastered on his face, the bemused and not at all degrading kind.</p><p>Ace Killa. That was a name she once used. After she got corrupted by the schemes of Dealer, the name that haunted her to this very day. Ever since White Ace showed her the light, she had no reason to use it. Especially since her skills had degraded and her life had taken a turn for the worse.</p><p>"The name's Kenzaki Kyrie now, Joker. Why did you have to be here, of all goddamn people?" Kyrie spat at the ground, glaring at the monocle-wearing man. She wanted nothing more than to rip out his throat and be done with it, but then she'd be back in the routine. At least he'd shake it up.</p><p>Joker picked the monocle off his face and cleaned it ever gently with one of the many cloths sticking out of his vest pocket. "You're as uncouth as ever, which I appreciate. It's exactly this kind of behavior that we need in a time like this." He explained briefly before sliding the eyewear back on.</p><p>"Answer the goddamn question, Joker! Where the fuck is Dealer!? You always showed up with her at your side, so where the hell is she!?" The purple-haired woman shouted as she shook back and forth in her binds, the iron struggling to keep her contained.</p><p>Her host sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Very well. I suppose I do owe you an explaination, one that you may not need considering your tendency to ignore everything I say and do whatever you please." He started, clearing his throat as he brought forth a deck of cards that he immediately started shuffling. One of his tics, which kept him calm in high-intensity situations.</p><p>"Dealer vanished all those years ago, not long after the Darkness started making way into our world. In her place, White Ace and Black Ace fell. They decimated everyone that came near them, staining them with the very same dark power that now consumed them. I was lucky to escape after Dealer disappeared, and have stuck to the shadows ever since. Fortunately, I had plenty of time to recognize that my actions against the world at large were improper, and I have a certain somebody to thank for showing me the light."</p><p>Joker finished shuffling his deck before two other individuals stepped forth, one hiding behind the other. A familiar individual at that, one that immediately made the heart sink deep into the captive woman's stomach...</p><p>"Madoka Harlan... You too? Have you come back to haunt me, all these years later?" The voice that left Kyrie's left was much less venomous. Almost remorseful, as if she knew that she had done much to wrong her.</p><p>The woman known as Madoka had short brown hair that reached down to her shoulders, and an eagle-eyed look that could see through any lie. Not only that, but her gentle choice of attire made it clear that she had gone down a different path in life than when the former villain saw her last.</p><p>"Haunt you? You're being overdramatic just like back then, Kenzaki." Madoka smiled as she slowly bowed before the bound woman. "Still, you could've been a little less bullheaded in your attempts to capture me. Keeping a knife against my neck, hanging me from a bridge, so many terrible things..." She muttered, sighing almost sweetly. Like a wave of nostalgia rushing over her...</p><p>Kyrie refused to look at her, looking at the floor. "Could you not spell everything out? It's been... It's been so long since I was like that. I'd like to think that I've gotten better." She muttered quietly...</p><p>"And yet Joker found you sulking away in a bar, remembering the days where you fought bravely and recklessly against the forces of good." The maternally bodied woman chimed as she stepped closer, slipping a key out from her sleeve as she unlocked her binds. "Come on. Stand up and look at me. Show me the face of Ace Killa, the girl that would've brought White and Black to heel."</p><p>The purple-haired woman slowly rose out of her chair, still looking at the ground as her heart continued to waver. But it wouldn't last for long, as her eyes slowly met the woman who had found happiness. All while a little smile found its way onto her face. "...Still in contact with Black, or did that fall apart when she kicked the can?"</p><p>"You wouldn't believe how many times I've tried to get through to her. It's almost comical at this point." Madoka smiled just as gently before sighing, this time it was her turn to look away. "I miss her. I really do. The brat that's gotten her on a tight leash drove her away from me, and..."</p><p>Joker cleared his throat as he put a hand on the woman's shoulder. "I think you've both reminisced enough for one day. Would you like to explain Ace Killa's needed, or should I?" The monocled man butted his way in, all while keeping an eye on both women.</p><p>"Quit calling me that, Joker. I told you, the name's Kenzaki Kyrie! Learn to listen with those shitty ears of yours!" Kyrie spat venom at the man she formerly worked for, all while the brunette giggled a little...</p><p>An equally tiny giggle joined in with Madoka's, prompting the owner to suddenly reveal herself from behind the taller woman. "Mama, that girl's really funny!" A positively tiny redhead chimed, floating around the brunette as tiny light particles drizzled their way towards the ground.</p><p>One look at her, and it was easy to tell what she was. A Sprite. The power source and partners of Aces. The formerly bound woman was pretty familiar with them, as she was lucky enough to bond with a mockery during her time as Ace Killa. But nothing compared to the real deal, especially when it concerned their adorable nature.</p><p>"Don't call her 'that girl', Millin. Call her by her name. Come on, ask her." The responsible woman said as she slowly turned the tiny redhead towards the purple-haired woman, all while Joker maintained a rather satisfied smile on his face.</p><p>The tiny Sprite, clad in an adorably knitted red dress, smiled up at the stranger. "Hello! I'm Millin! What's your name?" She chimed, utterly ignorant of the history between her and her mother...</p><p>"...Kenzaki Kyrie." Kyrie answered, only for her eyebrow to slowly raise. "What kind of a name is Millin? I know you Sprites had terrible naming sense, but..."</p><p>Millin puffed out her cheeks and bopped the larger woman on the face, a strike that did basically no damage. "What kind of name is Kyrie, huh? What if I asked you that? Millin's a good name, Mama gave it to me! Insulting my name means you insult Mama, and you wouldn't want to insult Mama!"</p><p>The purple-haired woman looked between the redhead and the brunette she called a 'Mama', before slowly nodding. "...Sorry. Millin's a fine name." She admitted defeat, looking down as shame filled her body.</p><p>"Chin up, Killa. You have to look at your new partner, otherwise she'll just throw another tantrum." Joker laughed as he adjusted his eyewear, before stepping into the darkness for a brief moment. "At any rate, you wanted to know why we brought you here? Millin is part of that reason, and I think you can piece together the rest."</p><p>Kyrie's eyes slowly widened as she looked back up, listening to the voice in the dark. "You want me to become an Ace? Not a fake, a genuine Ace? You're insane, Joker! I'm too old for that! Not only that, but I don't have a heart for that crap! You used me for evil, you know that's what I'm good at! This has got to be one of your absolutely terrible jokes..."</p><p>"It's the truth, Kenzaki." Madoka spoke up, putting her hand on the purple-haired woman's. "There's nobody left with as much compatibility with Sprites as you. The fakes that you used when you were trying to hurt and bully me... They raised you through the roof. And thanks to my Daughter's innate abilities, you're made for one another." She explained, all while the redheaded Sprite giggled and grinned, beaming with pride.</p><p>Millin flew around the older lady, humming as she tried to examine her. "You really are good at this stuff, Kyrie! You're like, super duper strong! We can be the bestest team around, make the best Ace! Even better than Mom's friends!" She added on with that faith, throwing her hands behind her head.</p><p>"...You're all going to regret this, once I end up turning just like they have." Kyrie muttered under her breath as she slowly put her hand on the redheaded Sprite. "How do you have this much faith in me..?"</p><p>Madoka's smile widened. Joker's as well, as they both spoke in unison, almost eerily so. "Because White did." That was all they needed to say for the purple-haired woman to feel sick to her stomach with pure radiance, causing her to turn away.</p><p>"Fine, whatever. Millin, you're with me. We're going Ace-hunting." The former Ace Killa said as she wandered into the darkness, not knowing where to find one. All she knew was that she'd find a way to pay those two idiots back for their shitty trust.</p><p>Once the sound of a door closing echoed around them, signifying that the brand new Ace pair had departed, the monocled-man turned towards the shorter woman. "Are you absolutely sure this is the right path forward?" He asked, the cards coming out again as he shuffled in increasingly extravagant ways."</p><p>"You're the one worrying? Joker, they'll be fine. Millin's strong. And so is Kenzaki, you should know that by now." Madoka patted the larger man on the back, not wavering for a second.</p><p>Joker slowly nodded as the shuffling came to an end, producing a single card in his hand. A card of opportunity, one from the deck that he had started playing with as a hobby.</p><p>The Arcana of the Fool. Symbolizing the woman's new beginning, and the free spirit that would save the ones that had fallen...</p><p>---</p><p>As Kyrie and Millin made their way out of the Ace in the Hole, they didn’t have a clue as to what Ace to go for. Especially since the former had been out of the game for so long that she lost track of all the Aces that were active. But fortunately, one would show their ugly mug quite quickly, and quite loudly at that.</p><p>“Hahahahaha! Bow down before me, mere mortals! Your cursed-eyed goddess is here for you!” A loud and booming voice echoed from the city center, filled with so much energy and emotion that it was hard not to notice her at this point. Both the purple-haired would-be-heroine and the short redheaded Sprite quickly followed the source, arriving to a not-too-terribly-pleasant scene.</p><p>Namely, that of several humans bowing down before a lavender-haired girl dressed in an extravagantly frilly dress, with darkness swirling around her as if she commanded it. Her eye glowed as that darkness pulsated, her breathing intensifying in tandem. “That’s right! Kneel! Know your place in the world and worship me! Worship me and praise me until the very end!”</p><p>“All hail Curse Ace, our cursed goddess…” The brainwashed masses cried out in dull unison, lacking any proper conviction unlike the one that had charmed them.</p><p>Not only that, but she seemed outright furious at their worship. “Curse-eyed! Not Cursed! My power stems from my supernatural Eye, I haven’t been cursed anywhere else! Again, and get it right this time!” The frilly-dressed girl cried out in frustration, jumping up and down causing the statue that she stood upon to crack ever slightly from the weight of her body…</p><p>In the midst of her frustrated bouncing, some of the civilians that had fallen under the command of her eye snapped out of it. Mostly because she didn’t exactly command an intimidating presence, but also because she needed to concentrate to control that many people.</p><p>A young girl and her father managed to break free, with the older man quickly lifting her into his arms as he made a run for it. “There there, it’ll all be okay…” He whispered into her ear as she started sobbing, wondering what was even going on. It was all so confusing for such a youth like her…</p><p>But they didn’t get far. Curse Ace snapped her fingers once she realized what had happened, appearing before the pair with her hand covering her cursed eye. “Aha! And you two heathens would dare escape from your Goddess? Have you no shame in your disobedience? No honor? I should execute the both of you where you stand for what you’ve done!” </p><p>“You’ll do no such thing to me or my daughter!” The father cried out as he let the girl down, letting her run behind him as he held his arms out in a protective manner. “You’ll have to go through me! I won’t fall prey to your charms again, and especially not that eye of yours!” He stood firm, intending to protect the daughter he loved beyond all else in the world…</p><p>The corrupted Ace licked her lips as she slowly removed her hand from her eye. “You think so lightly of my Cursed Eye. You don’t know how glad that makes me, you heathen. Now that you’ve decided to make an enemy of it, you’ll find yourself frozen as it makes you its prey..!” She cackled, energy brimming forth from that eye in mere seconds…</p><p>He wanted to run away, but there was little time to do so. Especially as the tendrils of darkness shot forth from the eye and dug into his body, making him writhe and scream in pain. Though those screams didn’t last for long, as his skin starten to harden…”</p><p>“D-Daddy…” The little girl sobbed as she looked up at the man doing his best to still stand firm, to no avail. He was forced to bend over and buckle in pain as the tendrils sucked out all of his energy, leaving him as nothing more than a frail marble statue. A symbol of what would happen if you disregarded the Ace’s words and acted out…</p><p>She started crawling away, feeling fear encroach on her heart. But Curse Ace wasn’t done. Oh no. She still had something to do, as those tentacles crept towards the girl, the villainous Ace giggling all the while.</p><p>“Don’t be afraid. You’ve seen the Cursed Eye’s full power. And you too have a Cursed Eye. All I’m doing is allowing it to run wild, show its true self to the world.” The Ace chimed, every word dripping with enough malicious intent to make anybody question her sanity. It was as if she had completely flipped her lid once she was corrupted, going as far beyond her former heroism as she could…</p><p>The girl looked into that glowing, darkness-spewing eye, and her worries gradually started to fade. The tentacles came closer, yet closer, inching towards her own right eye… as they then sank in. Not violently, but gently. She could feel the power swelling into it, her heart beating heavier and heavier…</p><p>As her eye felt its true power being unleashed, the curses filling it and turning it a complete pitch black with a few lines of lavender color illuminating it, the rest of her body began to change in tandem. Her legs and arms grew longer, her hair sprawled out until it reached all the way down to her hips, and her mind felt at ease…</p><p>She slowly stood up, a hand covering up the eye that had been invaded as the tentacles slid back. All while her body looked more and more like it had been forcibly progressed into a proper age. The same age as her Mistress, who she looked almost identical to. If there was one thing that Curse Ace loved, it was somebody to mirror her. A girl whose curse consumed her, just like hers!</p><p>“Thank you, Mistress..!” The former young girl, now a mirror copy of Curse Ace herself, giggled as the power started pulsating from her own eye. “This mere mockery of your body and soul will do anything you ask! Just issue an order, and it will be done..! Ohoho…”</p><p>A laugh echoed from both of their lips as they held hands, only for the original Ace’s eye to swirl with a terrible amount of energy. Not a second later, and it had consumed the girl whole, seemingly feasting on her. But the way that its power seemed to continue swirling indicated differently. As if it had sent her elsewhere…</p><p>“With volunteers and fellow curse-eyed girls like her, I’ll be able to take my proper place among the Aces! No longer will I be looked down upon for my weak power! This eye of mine will let me rise all the way to the top, until I stand by the side of White and Black! Oh, they’ll love me when I get up there, that I know from the bottom of my wicked, cruel heart!”</p><p>Millin and Kyrie continued watching from the cover of darkness, each of them looking to one another as they started bouncing a couple ideas between one another. How were they going to deal with this…</p><p>Or at least, that was what the purple-haired former Killa wanted to do, but one look at the redhead and it was clear that it wasn’t going to be that simple. The poor girl was shaking, terrified from watching that stuff unfold. “...Millin. You’re allowed to speak up if you don’t think you can handle it.”</p><p>“I-I… I can handle it!” The redheaded Sprite cried out as she pumped her fists. “We gotta take her down and fix her! I can’t just stand here and watch people get corrupted! Mama said that those that don’t act are worse than the ones that try and fail!” She huffed, steeling her heart the best she could.</p><p>Kyrie narrowed her eyes a little. Just what did Madoka teach her? More than that, if she and Joker spent so much time together, she’d hate to know what that bastard taught her. “Listen. You don’t have to worry about it. Just let me handle it. I can probably take out a simple girl like this, just give me a moment…” She tried to reassure her, reaching into the pocket of her oversized jacket…</p><p>Only to remember that she didn’t have any of her gear. She lost it those ten years ago, and now that she was back in the business, her body was acting on the old and dusty muscle memory… “...On second thought, I do need your help, Millin.”</p><p>“Mmhm! You do! Otherwise, you can’t be an Ace like Mama thought you could be!” The redheaded Sprite replied with pride, swirling around the older woman. “We’ll be the best team against her! And we gotta do it now, otherwise she’s going to get away!”</p><p>Kyrie nodded as she put a hand on Millin’s head. “Alright, transform then. We gotta get going.” She said with a firm tone, only to notice the frown on the redhead’s expression. “What? Didn’t you just say that we have to go?”</p><p>“You can’t just make me transform by grabbing me! You have to do it the right way! You gotta say a cool phrase!” Her small partner complained, jolting all over the place. “You gotta! You’re not a real Ace if you don’t do it!”</p><p>The purple-haired woman glared at her shorter partner, gritting her teeth. Right now, she wished that she had the old Killa gear on hand. Then she could just transform. But… Madoka and Joker had faith in her. And that meant that she had to repay that faith, even if it all seemed too stupid. “Alright, fine, as long as it makes you stop looking at me like that.”</p><p>“Yay! Okay, so you gotta follow my lead. And at the end, you gotta say Ace. Got it?” She asked, prompting a bit of a nod from her partner. With a smile on her face, she began. “By the light in the stars…” Millin chanted, keeping a close eye on her partner.</p><p>Kyrie grit her teeth a little more, but she relented. Even if it was too stupid. “By the light in the stars…”</p><p>“And the light in our hearts, shining until the end...”</p><p>“And the light in our hearts, shining until the end...”</p><p>“I call upon the power! The power to grasp happiness!”</p><p>“I call upon the power... The power to grasp happiness...”</p><p>“Set Up! Millin!”</p><p>“Set Up! Ace!”</p><p>The two raised their hands in unison, a bright light surrounding them and forcing the people around them to look straight at them. Nobody could miss a lightshow like that, especially not the corrupted Ace that had just transformed those innocents…</p><p>“What is… Ohohoho! A brand new Ace? And I get to show them the truth? Lucky me!” Curse Ace chimed as she dashed straight towards the orb of light that had appeared not far from her location, licking her lips as the tentacles started sprawling forth from her eye…</p><p>Only to be blown back by a powerful blast of energy, the orb peeling away to reveal Kyrie standing alone. Nothing seemed different at first, but the subtle glow around her clothing would serve to change that.</p><p>The purple-haired woman’s hands clasped around a heart-adorned handle, her thick clothing bursting off her body while the light kept her assets from being exposed. All so that several ribbons could extend from the handle of her new weapon, taking on the form of brand new clothes. Clothes fit for an Ace!</p><p>Clothes that were utterly unfitting for a grown woman like her! Whether it was the tightness of the silver-colored dress around her curves, or the extreme amount of frills, or the skirt that covered way too much… She felt like she was wearing so much garbage that she could hardly stand! But still, she’d do what she could. Even while looking like an overly feminized bimbo. At least her hair was untouched despite the dress.</p><p>“Okay, now you gotta introduce yourself! Come on, declare your presence and make yourself known!” The voice of Millin echoed through her mind as her weapon gently bounced around, making the older woman grit her teeth once more. Not only did she have to endure the humiliation of this outfit, but she also had to make it so damned obvious..?</p><p>She was just about to lower the gun and take a shot, only to find her arms frozen. “If you don’t do it, I won’t lend you my power! Come on! Just say it!” Her partner’s voice continued echoing throughout her mind, making her sigh rather quickly. Damnit, if this had to be the way…</p><p>“Hehehe… You’re a tough one, I can tell that based on the energy you put out!” Curse Ace declared as she flew closer, her eye’s tentacles forming into the shape of wings on her back. All while she continued to keep that thing hidden on instinct, a sly grin on her face. “But who dares! Who are you, and why would you dare try to contest this goddess’ reign of terror!? Answer me, or feel the wrath of my cursed eye!”</p><p>There was no way around it. Kyrie took a deep breath, closing her eyes. She could do this. The humiliation would be lessened as long as she just mashed her way through it. “You want to know my name?” She asked rhetorically, opening one eye as a crosshair appeared in the place of her iris.</p><p>“I am Forge Ace! Though I may have once been a mockery, I’ve been forged into something far beyond you and your peers!” The purple-haired heroine cried out with gusto as she pointed her firearm straight ahead, aiming for the flying former heroine. “And by my hand, your villainy and tyranny will fall! Everything will return to it once was, as it always should’ve been!”</p><p>Millin’s claps echoed within her head, the little girl proud of what her partner came up with. Even though the ‘Forge’ nickname was very on-the-fly. If she could, she would’ve used Forgery instead. Because that was basically all she was, a fake and a fraud. But she could use it to empower herself instead, just like that girl wanted…</p><p>“Forge Ace, huh? Very well! I accept your challenge and stand against you with all of the might that my eye commands! Now, engar-”</p><p>Curse Ace launched herself into a tirade once more, only to nearly receive a bullet straight through her head. A heart-shaped bullet with an equally heart-filled trail, courtesy of the heart-barreled rifle that the new Ace wielded with one hand.</p><p>“The more you talk, the more bullets I’ll fill you with. And I won’t miss next time.” The purple-haired woman said with determination filling her eyes. She was dead serious, the crosshairs in her eyes firmly locked on the villain in front of her.</p><p>It was her opponent’s turn to grit her teeth, as she turned her wings into a lash of tentacles. If she couldn’t flee, then she would go on the offensive. She would go all out, as long as it meant that she could deliver a killing blow upon this reckless mess of a new Ace! So what if she wasn’t corrupted? She’d still get all the credit for ridding the world of another hero!</p><p>Forge Ace kept her cool, her heart beating as slow as she needed it to. That slow beat kept her concentration stable, letting her see exactly where she needed to shoot. She had to thank Millin later for how light she felt as a weapon, it made all of this so much easier.</p><p>She pulled the trigger. Not once, not twice, but enough times to match the amount of tentacles darting towards her. Each shot was well aimed, each shot was well placed. All of them made their target in what felt like an instant, leaving very little up to chance. Leaving the owner of said tentacles deprived of a proper assault, leaving her vulnerable to what obviously came next…</p><p>“Y-You… You! You’re the worst! The absolute worst! Not even White and Black are as despicable as you! Your heart is rotten! Your mind is impure! You… YOU!” Curse Ace cried out in a fury as she charged forth. Her eye was still filled with enough power to completely petrify anybody she made contact with. Sure, she now had to barrel straight towards the heroine, but if it stopped her in her tracks, then it was all worth it!</p><p>Forge Ace kept her cool, her eye locked on that very same eye. The energy at the tip of her barrel started glowing, filling with power. This would be the end. And she knew exactly what to say too, just to satisfy the one that had given her all of this power.</p><p>“Let it roar! LOVE-FILLED FORGE BLAST, MAXIMUM OUTPUT!”</p><p>A massive heart squeezed out of the spiralling barrel, the energy itself spiralling just as much as it headed straight for the former heroine’s weak point. A weak point that was so damned obvious that it was almost comical how she hadn’t been defeated earlier, but since it fell to the newest heroine, it served as great practice. </p><p>Curse Ace felt the panic rush through her as she tried to cover up her precious powerful eye, only for the entire thing to shift straight through her body. All while impaling her eye, causing her to let out a pained cry as the heart sank into it causing the rest of her body to convulse in agony. It felt terrible, like light and love was filling her body in such quantities that it felt like poison…</p><p>She fell to the ground, her body seemingly dissolving thanks to all of the energy coursing through her. Was this how she was going to vanish..? No! She still had… She still had so much to do! She couldn’t disappear, she… she… She was going to leave nothing behind, just like she always feared…</p><p>“Now! You gotta grab the spot where she fused with her Sprite and sever the connection! Then they’ll both be returned to normal! Quick!” Millin shouted within Kyrie’s head, and the rifle-wielding Ace hurried ahead. It wasn’t hard to guess where that spot was, it had to be that very same weakpoint.</p><p>Forge Ace reached out, shoving her hand straight into that eye… Only to feel a powerful suction, one that dragged at her very soul. She kept her footing steady, gritting her teeth as it all became greatly overwhelming.</p><p>All while images, foreign images, flashed before her very eyes…</p><p>---</p><p>“Takeba? What do you want to be when you grow older?”</p><p>“...Takeba?”</p><p>Takeba Yumi. That was her name. The name she was given at birth. The name that shackled her to an existence where she could never truly imagine what she’d do in the future.</p><p>She wasn’t good at anything. Math, science, language, arts, culture… All of it. She was absolutely terrible at it. She couldn’t multiply, she couldn’t figure out what made what work, and she could barely handle her own words right. She… She was a total failure. That’s why she couldn’t imagine herself having a future.</p><p>There was just one escape in life. Those comics that she read. Though she wasn’t good at reading the actual words, the emotion that they all conveyed were true. So she tried acting them out whenever she could, which just made everyone laugh at her. But she was still going to try! It was what she liked! No matter what they thought..! She… She was going to show them!</p><p>But how could she do that without reinventing herself? She couldn’t just be Yumi anymore. She had to take on a different name. One that completely embodied her desire… And she picked the two words that had managed to linger in her mind, the two words that she actually understood completely.</p><p>Yomi Yami. Underworld of Darkness. Or something like that, she still didn’t quite understand the connection between her name and its meaning, but it was super cool! Whenever she put her hand in front of her eye, it made her feel like she was meant for something! Something greater…</p><p>That feeling only grew as she was once saved from an attack by Dealer’s henchmen. Not only did she get to see the smiles on the Aces’ faces as they thought that her act was inspiring, a way to express herself in her very own way, but she even met a little partner. A partner that thought that she couldn’t just go around doing those poses without them having the proper power they commanded.</p><p>It didn’t take long before Yami understood what she needed to do. She called upon the powers in her eye, synchronizing it with her new Sprite partner, turning into Curse Ace, the darkness within the light. Using her powers, she would save them all! Even if she acted like a villain, even if her eye made her do such terrible things… She would do it! That’s what her heart said to her!</p><p>Finally, she had found a path forward! She would be a heroine, an Ace for everyone to look up to! She finally felt happiness creeping its way into her heart…</p><p>But it all came to a terrible close, as the Darkness took over. Her darkness paled in comparison to it, as her former friends encroached upon her. And they reminded her. Her eye was not a blessing in disguise…</p><p>It was a Curse. A Curse that consumed her and her partner alike, as their screams were silenced for the very last time…</p><p>---</p><p>Those… Those were her memories. That’s what Kyrie saw. The memories of her life before she was turned into a corrupted heroine. Well, what a shitty life that was… But how was that going to help her stop any of thi-</p><p>“I’ll take it from here!” Millin’s voice cried out as the hand inside the eye glowed, her voice booming with power as she screamed out loud. “LET THE BOND BETWEEN FRIENDS BE FORGED, AND LET THE DARKNESS BE PRUNED OUT OF HER HEART!”</p><p>A shocking amount of energy burst forth from the eye, knocking Forge Ace back in an instant. But along with it came a corrupted-looking orb, as the girl whose eye she was just invading collapsed onto the ground below, the energies that had been blanketing her for years vanishing…</p><p>The orb in the heroine’s hand beat ominously, trying to sink into her and corrupt her just the same. But that wasn’t going to happen. She crushed it, every piece splintering off and vanishing into specks of light, purified forever more. The Darkness that had conquered Yumi’s heart was no more…</p><p>“So that’s how we do it, huh…” Kyrie muttered as she looked to the girl that she had defeated, a girl that was now deprived of her power. Not permanently, as she could no doubt transform her Sprite into a weapon once again, but she was in her base form for the time being.</p><p>Takeba Yumi laid there, dressed in her old school uniform. Her lavender hair had turned black once more as it reached all the way down to her hips, blanketing her in a soft and fluffy manner. All while her arms were wrapped around her partner, a short and chubby looking chum with a pair of devilish wings sticking out of his back. It was with this Sprite that she could harness the power of her eye… or, that was what those memories said anyway. It’d be a terrible idea to ruin her fantasy, at least after she had finally been freed.</p><p>“...For the record, I’m not doing that entire spiel next time.” The purple-haired heroine said as she tossed the weapon into the air, dispelling her transformation in the process and turning her right back into the same thickly-clothed but more maneuverable woman that she had always been. “Let’s shorten it to the set up part, okay?”</p><p>Millin glared at the older woman, huffing… right up until she felt her hand resting upon her head, ruffling her hair. “Do it for me, okay? This is a partnership, not a ‘We order each other around until one of us gets tired”ship, isn’t it?” Kyrie said, smiling ever so slightly…</p><p>The redhead couldn’t huff for long with that amount of earnesty coming from her partner. “Hmmm… Okaaaaay. But you gotta do the Bond Forging then! And keep doing the attack lines!” She brattily made demands, stomping at the air while the woman picked up the defeated girl and her partner.</p><p>“Fine, fine. You liked that Forge Blast line, didn’t you?” The purple-haired heroine said, grinning a little as she started walking back towards their hideout, the victims of the former corrupted Ace’s evil deeds slowly returning to normal in the background. They’d return to their routines somehow, and that wasn’t their problem…</p><p>Millin nodded rapidly, giggling as she put her hands together in a gun-shape. “It was like, pew! And then the big heart flew off and did as much damage as you put your heart into! Do that more often and we’ll defeat all the aces with ease!”</p><p>The two shared a laugh, their first mission together having gone as smoothly as it ever could’ve gone… But it was just the start. There were still so many more to get through…</p><p>Fight on, Forge Ace! Fight on, Shining Aces!</p><p>---</p><p>“Oh dear. Seems like little Curse lost.”</p><p>In the depths of the City, where the Darkness had rooted itself, two silhouettes sat across from one another, with a third resting upon one of their laps.</p><p>“She never did have the strength to perservere. And she never played with our little girl. I say that this was well-deserved.” One of them, a black-clad woman, said with disdain covering her tone.</p><p>Her opposite, a white-clad woman with a bright yet foreboding smile, disagreed. “She just had her own issues to work out. If our dearest ever wanted to play with her in earnest, she would’ve done so. Wouldn’t you, little one?”</p><p>The young girl wearing both black and white nodded, smiling as she rested against the white-clad mother.</p><p>“White, you can’t keep spoiling her. She still has to grow.” The black-garbed one muttered. All while staring straight at the woman that she loved, a slight blush on her cheeks. It was obvious that she was envious.</p><p>The corrupted White Ace giggled. “You just have to ask, Black, and I could spoil you just the same. Don’t take it out on our little one, just because you’re jealous.” She chimed, all while the corrupted Black Ace continued to blush more obviously.</p><p>Even when they had fallen, they still teased each other rapidly… All while a manifestation of their fall, as well as their bond, sat on White’s lap. The symbol of the Darkness that had encroached on their world, the same thing they served…</p><p>Love.</p>
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